Promulgation of the Fall

Promulgation of the Fall is the second full-length studio album by the Greek death metal band Dead Congregation. The album was released on May 5, 2014 on the band's own record label Martyrdoom Productions in Europe, and on Profound Lore Records in North America. Vinyl distribution was handled by Norma Evangelium Diaboli. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics and was featured on a number of end-of-year lists.

Many of the songs were written shortly after the completion of their previous album, 'Graves of the Archangels' in 2008, "then some were changed after playing them for such a long time and a couple were written at a later point." According to Anastasis Valtsanis,

The album's central theme is the decline of Christianity, as well as death, decadence, decay, darkness, and despair. Valtsanis has also explained that "Most of the times the lyrics are (figuratively) trying to paint a surreal picture quite similarly to H. P. Lovecraft’s way of writing, though our lyrics do not deal with the Cthulhu Mythos or with fictional themes." Various critics have compared the band's sound to Incantation, Morbid Angel, and other death metal bands. Critics have also noted the combination of death metal and doom metal influences on the album.

Valtsanis has said in an interview that:

Unlike their previous album, the artwork for Promulgation of the Fall was not created by their friend Timo Ketola.

The album received widespread acclaim from music critics. Metal Injection described the album as " everything good death metal should be. It's savage, extreme, and technically proficient, but, above all, this is a unsettling record." The Quietus wrote that the album continues in the spirit of Death's song 'Pull the Plug' and "its defiant acceptance of the end, something that would end organised religion as we know it if it got in the water supply." They added that "Promulgation Of The Fall operates in that spirit, embracing chaos with open arms and jettisoning millennia of human guilt in the process." Exclaim! noted the drums as a highlight of the album, as well as the song transitions and broader songwriting, describing it as "a rare death metal accomplishment." Pitchfork noted that, though the album's lack of innovation, the band "have concentrated on perfecting a very specific sound that invokes a very specific atmosphere, drawing from a very specific sonic template in order to achieve that vision." They concluded that "it’s clear that there is something special happening here. Most importantly, they leave us wanting more." Sputnikmusic wrote that "With tighter songwriting, better production, and a little extra helping of doom, Dead Congregation’s Promulgation of the Fall stands strong with their now classic Graves of the Archangels and delivers in just about every conceivable way."

• Anastasis Valtsanis - vocals, guitar, songwriting, production, layout
• T.K. - guitar
• G.S. - bass
• V. V. - drums

• Charis Zourelidis - production, recording engineer
• Ayis Lertas - artwork
• Kostas Protopapas - additional artwork
• Timo Ketola - lyrics (track 6)
• Tim Grieco - lyrics (track 4)